Heart and sky & Death and Sun

The following short poems are other translations from Giovanni Pascoli’s Myricae (Salt cedar, tamarisk). In particular, these two poems belong to the section: “Thoughts” where the poet wonders about human condition trying to draw a philosophical vision of life.

“Heart and Sky” has for main theme those visions and illusions that we have in our life. He compares these visions to stars (Alfa and Omega) that shine and set every day in the sky.

The second one, Death and Sun, is a wandering on death and on his mystery. Death is, here, compared to the black spot that we see when we look at the sun.

Heart and sky

In the heart, a thousand visions multiply,
sky and earth have no room to keep them in,
sometimes desire blows away, there shines
a hope:

As well as in the sky, deep ocean blue,
where our flying though does swallow,
the Alfa is setting and breeds an Omega
in the deep.

Death and Sun

Unmovable is death: dark
constellation shining in the black sky:
brief is the word, clear is the vision:
read, oh pupil.

You can’t. Like when you look at the unmovable
burnin’ star in the lonely sky;
the sun, what do you see? An empty
blur, nothing.